Today brought some good news for Davy Fitzgerald. Clare's All Ireland hopes were boosted when news emerged that Colm Galvin returned to the panel after cutting short a summer-long trip to Boston. The 2013 All Star had been expected to miss the entirety of the campaign but instead, he's back in the squad and will be available for selection to help kickstart Clare's campaign.
Unsurprisingly, given Galvin's ability in midfield, Davy Fitzgerald was only too happy to welcome him back into the fold.
Ahead of his departure to the US, the management team assured Colm that the door would remain open for his return to the squad should he decide to come home over the course of the summer.
During the past couple of weeks Colm expressed his desire to return and through regular communication with his father Kevin, we were only too delighted to invite him to rejoin the squad.
However, there have been some dissenting voices regarding Fitzgerald's stance on the issue. Former Laois player and current Off The Ball presenter, Colm Parkinson, has drawn some interesting parallels between Fitzgerald's treatment of Galvin and his treatment of exiled duo Davy O'Halloran and Nicky O'Connell.
Two players go out (not drinking) and are humiliated at training. Another goes to America, lives it up and is welcomed back with open arms
— Smaller Fish GAA (@SmallerFishGAA) June 23, 2015
What happened the 'standards' the Clare panel set? They mustn't include going to America for 3 months or they only apply to certain players
— Smaller Fish GAA (@SmallerFishGAA) June 23, 2015
The removal of O'Halloran and O'Connell from the squad back in March threatened to seriously disrupt Clare's All Ireland hopes. O'Connell was later brought back into the fold but the entire affair painted a picture of the Clare set-up as one where Davy ruled with an iron fist and it was his way or the highway.
The return of Galvin may be necessary to Clare's hopes of salvaging their season but it seems likely there may be some players on the panel who are less than clear on the kind of 'standards' that are expected of them now. It's to say that Galvin did anything wrong by choosing to go to America but, on Davy's part, there does seem to be a bit of hypocrisy at play.
